Burning House
by the.water.phoenix
Summary: "I'm not sorry I love you, Chi Chi. I'm only sorry he came back."


"It's hard to pretend I don't know you… _love_ you… around everyone. Even now, with him gone to Beerus' world, you won't even acknowledge me beyond a nod of your head or curt greeting. Let alone the _seven years_ I was here by your side, raising and training our- your sons. While he _chose_ to stay dead." He clenched one hand into a fist, trying to bite back the anguish she caused him. It had finally reached a point where he couldn't bear it anymore. "But, Chi Chi…" Piccolo's voice was so sad. He looked straight into her eyes. "I'm not sorry I love you. I'm only sorry he came back."

Chi Chi's hand stung. She'd slapped him. There was a purple spot blooming on his cheek. At least, she must have, though she didn't remember ever raising her hand. Hot tears streamed from her eyes. "How dare you!" she screamed. "How dare you say that!" She curled her hands into fists and pounded them against his chest. Over and over and over, she punched at him until sobs wracked her body and she slowly collapsed to the floor. Piccolo's arms were there to catch her, hold her. Chi Chi leaned into his embrace, nestling against his shoulder.

Neither spoke. They didn't have much to say at this point. With Goku's death and Cell's destruction, the two had acknowledged their love. Piccolo had moved in, raising Gohan and Goten alongside her. What a wonderful seven years it had been! Then, after Goku's return to life and Majin Buu, she'd decided to go on with her life as though those seven years never happened. That meant Piccolo had to leave. So many angry words said and unsaid as they tried to separate their joined lives, all with Goku randomly appearing and disappearing for weeks at a time. Goku never asked what happened between Piccolo and Chi Chi or been accusatory or suspicious toward them, but, with first-hand experience of what the Afterlife was life, Piccolo knew Goku hadn't been blind.

After his own revival with the Namekian Dragon Balls, Piccolo had sought out Chi Chi, only to receive a cold greeting, as if he was merely a friend she'd had at some point in time. She knew he'd died. Gohan had told her how Piccolo had, once again, protected him from death, this time at the hands of Freeza. And what had Chi Chi done? A simple, "Nice to see you, thanks for helping Gohan out, take care" as she had walked past Piccolo toward Goku and Goten. That had been worse than any deathblow.

In the months after Namek, with Goku deciding to stay off in space somewhere, and as his relationship with Chi Chi budded during the following three years, only fulling blooming and bearing fruit with Goku deciding to remain dead, Piccolo had dreamt so many foolish things. He'd imagined a world existing somewhere with Chi Chi falling in love with him instead of Goku from the beginning. That Gohan was his son with Chi Chi, raised entirely with Piccolo as his father, much like how they'd brought up Goten. And for seven wonderful years, Piccolo had lived out that dream: going to sleep beside her every night, her arm draped across his chest; squabbling over whose turn it was to do the twelfth load of daily laundry; watching movies with her as he massaged her tense shoulders and she fussed about _another_ mess the boys had made (and just three minutes after the last one was cleaned!); planting lingering, very distracting kisses along her jaw before she threatened him out of the kitchen with her frying pan _again_ ; feeling her muscles and body quiver against his hands and bare skin as he showed her over and over how much he loved and worshipped her.

And then Majin Buu.

And then Goku.

As soon as Goku was revived, though, Piccolo realized his years with Chi Chi had merely been a dream. A stupid dream that he had wanted to permeate his lonely, damned life of eternal solitude. That was reality. He'd been sleepwalking through a false life that would never be his, no matter what he did. It hurt too much to pretend otherwise anymore. It was time to say goodbye, forever.

Piccolo disentangled himself from Chi Chi, standing. She looked up at him from the floor, eyes red from tears. "I just found out there are eleven other universes besides ours, Chi Chi. I hope somewhere, in one of them, we're both happy. Because here, we aren't. You won't let us be."

Chi Chi turned her head away from Piccolo once more, afraid of the possibilities. _How has all this happened?_ she thought. _How has his love become wrong?_

"Maybe somewhere, in some other universe, there's a Piccolo and Chi Chi that meet, and love, and stay together," he continued. It was a fight to keep his voice from shaking. "Maybe one where you fell in love with me instead of Goku. Where you chose – _choose_ – me, in the end. Where you decided to create your own future instead of waiting for Goku to tell you what it will be." Piccolo turned. His white cape swished as he started walking away from her. When she spoke he pause.

"One where…" Chi Chi whispered, the last bit of fight in her sparking, "where there is at least a chance of you… and me… with Gohan…" A sob rose in her throat and she shook her head, fists pounding the floor. "One where loving each other isn't _wrong_!"

It took everything in Piccolo not to swoop down and cradle her to his chest, to feel her warm tears against his skin, to nudge against her neck and rub her cheek and massager her shoulders until she calmed. How could anyone ever leave this woman?

"There damn well better be. You, at least, deserve happiness, Chi Chi." Piccolo nodded to her as he walked out the door. "Goodbye." A single tear trailed down his face, betraying the infinite emotions swirling within him.

For a long moment, Chi Chi couldn't move. She watched him slowly leave, his gait determined yet reluctant. Something inside her shattered, fresh tears streaming from the broken dam of her heart. What was she doing? Why was she watching the man she loved – the man who had stood by her, stayed, helped her raise her children, guarded Gohan and Videl and newborn Pan still – walk away from her forever? _Why are you so scared?_ a voice whispered inside, the voice of her youth, the part of her that still longed for adventure and passion and kept promises. Her only answer had abandoned her months ago to some strange planet with a cat god and a blue-skinned man. Was Goku even an excuse for her anymore? Wasn't he more a faded dream that, once the rose-colored glasses were removed, didn't fulfill either of them, and only created more emptiness within her?

" _Piccolo!"_ she finally screamed, fighting to gain her feet beneath her and all but launching herself out the door in a mad leap. Just as he was preparing to leave the ground, he spun around, catching her a moment before she fell into the lawn. Her inertia threw him slightly backwards, his body taking the rough movements, cape staining green from the warm grass beneath them.

Chi Chi was bundled slightly against his chest, half of her body on Piccolo, the rest carefully cradled in his arms. Reaching up slowly, she traced the line of his one tear. This wasn't easy on either of them, whichever way this ended. So did it have to end?

Pulling against Piccolo's shoulders, Chi Chi brought her face level with his. There was no plum flush across his skin, no harsh line of thought or concern or confusion or pain. He was completely open to her. She placed one hand against his jaw, running her thumb against his neck just below. A small tingle spread through Piccolo's body; he sighed, breath mingled with Chi Chi's.

"Let's make it this universe."


End file.
